Bo Warnken has been volunteering at Laces of Love in Naples for more than three years, but she didn’t think that sorting and tagging sneakers was enough. She wanted to make more of an impact. That’s why the 16-year-old decided to build an elaborate sorting table for her Eagle Scout project.
“I just wanted to be part of it [Laces of Love] because it is a really cool organization,” Bo explained.
When Bo learned that shoes were being tagged on little tables or the floor of founder Jeanne Nealon’s home, she decided to raise the money to buy supplies and help build the table.
“With everything it took about a year,” Bo said.
Bo secured donations to pay for the supplies from the Home Depot Foundation and Remodeling Contractors, which is her scoutmaster’s company.
“The actual build took place over two days, and two more days for painting and refinishing,” Bo described. “The resin was the hardest part. We had to use a blow torch to blow out the bubbles.”
Bo recently delivered two tables measuring 8 feet wide by 12 feet long. Each table is on wheels so they can be easily moved together to make one huge work surface. There are drawers under the shiny table top for tags and other supplies.
“This is over the top,” said Nealon. “These are more than I ever imagined. They are so sturdy. This is exactly what we wanted.”
Carey Brisson, a Laces of Love volunteer and member of the board of directors, says Bo has been a volunteer with a lot of initiative.
“She started just tagging shoes in 8th grade,” Brisson said. “Then she asked to make tags, and she has continued to do that. I could not give her enough shoes to tag. She was constantly tagging.” Brisson also noted that Bo launched a Laces of Love Club at Barron Collier High School.
A proud scout
Bo was wearing her full Boy Scout uniform when she delivered the tables. She said she is proud to be a scout and excited to earn her Eagle Scout honor.
“My brothers were scouts and I thought it was super cool. They were doing archery and swimming and kayaking and I was jealous and wanted to be like them,” Bo said when asked why she wanted to join Boy Scouts. “My mom signed me up for one of their summer camps in North Carolina and I had the best time of my life.”
That led her to becoming a Boy Scout and going through all the challenges of earning badges and eventually securing Eagle Scout status. The Eagle Scout honor won’t be the end for Bo’s volunteering.
“I will continue volunteering for Laces of Love and the club at school,” Bo said. “I think lots of people would love to volunteer for this organization, but they don’t know about it. So I am just trying to spread the word.”
Bo knows shoes
Nealon loves seeing youngsters with a passion about her volunteer organization.
“Bo knows shoes,” Nealon said. “She understands the importance of why kids in this area need shoes.”
Nealon and her band of volunteers are now using the tables for all their sorting, labeling, and packing to bring shoes to children in need.
“The tables are fabulous,” Nealon exclaimed. “They make our jobs so much more efficient and we can get so much done.”
Laces of Love has distributed more than 300,000 shoes to children in Southwest Florida since it began in 2005.